Most medical device systems involve proprietary electrical, fiber optic and mechanical interconnection systems that can only be interconnected to other proprietary interconnection systems. Moreover, most medical device electrical connectors are also typically proprietary systems. Such medical device electrical connectors are specifically designed and built for only one type of application. As a result, it is typically not possible to interconnect the components of medical devices made by different manufacturers. As a result, many medical devices can only be operated when connected to proprietary equipment. For example, many medical devices can only be operated with specific power supplies or generators sold by the same manufacturer. In addition, such medical devices may only be adapted to interconnect with proprietary fluid, gas, cryogen, fiber optic, high frequency RF, mechanical coupling, magnetic, capacitive, and vacuum systems.
A disadvantage of such proprietary electrical connector systems is that medical device operators are not able to “mix and match” various medical device equipment combinations together. For example, due to the electrical connector or other type of interconnection system itself being proprietary equipment, a particular medical device may only be configured for use with a particular generator.
What is instead desired is a flexible electrical connection system permitting various medical (or non-medical) device equipment to be interconnected together. This would give a user has greater freedom to interconnect different medical device components together as desired. The ability to instead individually select different medical device components and interconnect them together would instead provide versatility and cost savings to the user.
A second disadvantage of proprietary electrical connector systems is that they are inherently expensive. This is due to the fact that they are individually designed, and made in short production runs. Moreover, they tend to be mechanically intricate, typically involving many small levers, tabs and connecting elements. Thus, they may easily become damaged or broken.
What is instead desired is a flexible electrical connector system that can be produced at lower cost. Such a system would ideally be simple in design and easy to operate. In addition, it is desirable that such a system be engineered to have a preferred tactile feel which is tunable, i.e.: which can be engineered such that system exhibits a finely tuned preferred insertion strength when plugged into the female connector and a finely tuned preferred retention strength when unplugged from the female connector. As such, it is preferable that the connector be engineered with a preferred coefficient of friction, thus giving the connector a preferred engineered friction fit.